“Just Didn’t Pan Out”: Ben Roethlisberger’s Shoes Too Big for Kenny Pickett as Shannon Sharpe Comments on Mike Tomlin’s Steelers U-Turn

The Pittsburgh Steelers are changing their strategies! They are arguably the team who are trying to make every possible effort to win the playoffs this 2024 season. From taking in talented players like Russell Wilson and Fields to transitioning their overall momentum, the Steelers aren’t backing down. That’s probably the reason they had overhauled their quarterback slot, following Kenny Pickett’s trade to the Eagles.

Foremost, they hired Russell Wilson for a year at low contract, and then within the same week, released Pickett and signed Justin Fields. Consequently, these major shifts in the team dynamics allowed experts and fans to turn their attention to the Steelers. One among them is Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson, who couldn’t help but answer “why” these changes have been put into place, putting Kenny Pickett’s role after Ben Roethlisberger in the limelight.

Do the Steelers want to revive their old version?

In a recent episode of Nightcap, show hosts Shannon Sharpe and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson reacted to the Steelers’ ongoing situation and roster overhauling. They talked about the transition the team has undergone since the departure of Ben Roethlisberger, who was a consistent presence and a Super Bowl-winning quarterback.

Johnson expressed, “I hate that things didn’t work out, but obviously with Big Ben leaving and you already know, those are big shoes to fill, as far as consistency is concerning [he is] a Super Bowl winning quarterback. And if you’re drafting someone as a successor to God damn, Big Ben, you’re expecting him to pick up where Big Ben left off, and it just didn’t pan out the way it should have.”

The comment was evidently pointed at Kenny Pickett who tried to fill in the “big shoes” of Roethlisberger. But, fell short of accomplishing what the 2x Super Bowl Champion could. While Pickett still has time to deliver and showcase his dominance in the NFL realm, the Steelers run for the QB wasn’t an ideal one. Highlighting the same, Sharpe and Johnson reflected that the Steelers offense needs to get back on track for their customarily defense to showcase their prowess once more.

The Steelers had been known for their strong defense, but with the offensive transition, they lost that identity. Now Sharpe and Johnson believe that Mike Tomlin and team need to return to their roots and take a U-turn on running the football, which traditionally has been their strength. Sharpe highlighted, “….you see the transition starting to happen, they had become more alive on Ben growing this football around and the defense. It kind of taken a step back because a lot of their money was on that side of the football.”

Read more: Despite Securing “Lamar Jackson”, Pittsburgh Steelers Reportedly Confirm Russell Wilson Intentions Over Justin Fields, Per NFL Insider

The host didn’t stop there and added, “But I think now, Mike [Tomlin] told me, was to get back to what they were when they won the super….. I think they want to get back to running the football. Yeah, strength, which is the defense.” Now, only time will tell whether Wilson or Fields are perfectly fitting in the shoes of Ben Roethlisberger. As Steelers are thriving to become their previous version, they have made a few shifts in their roster.

New enrollment in the Steelers roster!

The Steelers made significant changes to their team this year. They revamped their quarterback lineup by bringing in Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, getting rid of arguably less impactful options. They managed to secure these quarterbacks for a relatively low combined cost of under $4.5 million for the year and only had to give up a sixth-round pick in 2025 to acquire them.

Additionally, considering March additions into the team, they signed various players like DB DeShon Elliott, LB Patrick Queen, LS Christian Kuntz, and DT Breiden Fehoko, while also releasing some players including CB Patrick Peterson and WR Allen Robinson. This reshaping of the team reflects their commitment to an experiment to improvement and competitiveness in the upcoming season.